The Lahore High Court on Monday issued a notice, for May 16, to the Health Department, seeking its reply on a contempt of court petition.

The petition has been filed by Dr Haroon AK Babar who has challenged his removal as associate professor at the Multan Institute of Cardiology.

The petitioner has said that he was appointed, on contract, at the Multan Institute of Cardiology by the previous Punjab government. He says that the PML-N government had removed him from service for “political reasons”. He challenged his removal and the LHC had, in February 2011, ordered his reinstatement. The government restored him but did not renew his contract, he says.

The petitioner has now filed the contempt petition, saying that in not renewing his service contract the government had committed contempt. On Monday, he called the government’s attitude towards him “discriminatory”.